Until the Dawn Arrives

9:00 P.M.

A/N: I'm so  sorry that I've been neglecting this story for so long! I just really wanted to make sure that the second chapter lives up to the standards I set with the first one. I'm not sure if it is quite as good, but I tried hard to make a worthy successor. Well, I hope you enjoy it!

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Jasmine closed her eyes against tears that threatened to tear through her barrier of impassiveness. She had decided long ago to keep from showing too much. If she did, well, she never knew who may be watching, and when they would. Jasmine  left the gun in the hand of Jasper's body. She couldn't stand the thought of using that foul item any longer. Not after... Jasmine mentally chided herself. This was no time to be sentimental. In order to avenge Jasper, she had to be alert, she had to stay alive. Without another glance backwards, she left him, slumped against the green lady's hair.

Almost immediately, giant flood lights illuminated the Arena. 'But why would they light it like this?' Jasmine thought. It made very little sense to her.

"Jasmine!" She heard two voices whisper. Turning around, Jasmine saw Maya and Ginger. She rushed to them and the three embraced each other.
Then, the dreaded question came to Jasmine.

"Have you seen the guy?" Maya asked. Jasmine nodded slowly and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. Ginger and Maya looked behind Jasmine.

"The voices, wasn't it?" Ginger asked. Jasmine only nodded again.

"They were horrible," Ginger said, "Everything was exactly like my dad would tell me. But, I've done it before, so I got through them again."

Jasmine nodded. She still didn't have the courage to speak up. If she did, she was terrified that she would hysterically sob, and would remain in that spot, sobbing until something came along to kill her. So Jasmine  didn't speak. She only walked ahead of the group, trying to figure out what was after them now.

"It's really weird that they would turn on these lights, isn't it?" Ginger mentioned.

"I suppose they can't have us wandering in total darkness. That's just inhumane," Maya replied.

"It isn't already inhumane?" 

"No, it's only cruel. There's a difference. Without lights, they would just be tossing us into our deaths once it was dark enough. Now, at least we have a fighting chance. "

"Tell me we have a fighting chance when everyone  is dead," Ginger said with finality.

Jasmine listened to them speak. She could tell that Ginger was adamant in her belief that nobody would survive. It was certainly likely. Nobody ever lived through the Arena before. However, Maya's point did have some viability. After all, why turn on those lights? How could that possibly work as a downfall?

All too well, Jasmine realized. There must be creatures trying to find the contestants. THEY were coming. The contestants were being handfed to THEM. Jasmine knew that she, Maya, and Ginger had to keep moving. They had to conceal themselves.

The trees. They were  shrouded in darkness. If Jasmine could keep the trio in the shadows, they would be safe. She looked around. To their south was a good deal of wooded area. Jasmine had it now fixed in her head that the shadow was their safety.

"Guys," she said and turned, "We need to go to the trees. The only reason that the lights were turned on  is to help THEM find us. The only protected area has to be the shadow."